Ridirkulous Mavs Seal the Deal

Let's take the spotlight off of the Heat for a second. Instead, it should be placed on the veteran Dallas Mavericks, the true definition of a complete team. A team that needed all of its aging legs last night to close the deal, and return home happy.

Leading the charge for the Mavs was none other than Dirk Nowitzki, who took home the Finals MVP award. Averaging 26 and 10 on the series, he brought himself into the discussion of NBA all-time greats. He shot a dreadful 1-12 in the first half last night, but was picked up by teammates such as Jason Terry, whom the Mavs would not have won the series without.

Terry, or Jet as he's called, was on the 2006 Mavericks team along with Dirk that fell to Dwyane Wade's Heat in the Finals. He remembers going up 2-0, then losing four straight in a bitter series loss. Priding himself in clutch 4th quarter play, Terry made sure his team did not have the same fate this year. The Mavs' sixth man led all scorers with 27 points last night.

Sixteen years into his career Jason Kidd finally earned what he has dreamed for. Now primarily a facilitator and much less a scorer, J-Kidd was the engine that made the Mavs go. He stuck with LeBron James on D and kept the Mavs offense controlled while making minimal mistakes. Never being able to win a ring with New Jersey after taking them to the finals, Jason Kidd, the future Hall of Famer, can now call himself an NBA champion.

Hats off also to Shawn Marion, DeShawn Stevenson, Jose Juan Barea, Tyson Chandler and the rest of the Mavs for achieving the unexpected and going all the way. Every one of them earned their ring, and most of the basketball world is grateful that they did.

For LeBron, D-Wade and the ego-checked Heat, 2011 was not their year. "Not five, not six, not seven," rings in the heads of many rooting for their failure, who can remain happy for another year. LeBron's play was far from his best, and the Heat did play far worse with him on the court last night (-24 +/- rating), but everyone knows far too well he will be back sometime soon.

The Heat criticism will go on for days, but it should by no means take away from what the Mavs have accomplished. An old-school bunch, the Mavs relied on defense, fluid ball movement, and all-around team play. And they got a shiny gold trophy as a reward.